Sustainable Investing Symposium Draws Financial Advisors to D.C.

(September 13, 2017)

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB)September 13, 2017

Forward-thinking financial advisors joined a group of leading investment firms today in Washington, D.C. for the latest Sustainable Investing Symposium. The event, titled “Sustainable Investing Solutions: For Tomorrow's Client Appointments," was designed to better equip advisors for conversations with the growing number of clients interested in sustainable investing.

Presented by Saturna Capital, the Bellingham, WA-based investment adviser specializing in sustainable equity and bond mutual fund strategies, the event drew sustainable finance experts from across the industry to share best practices and answer questions on topics ranging from aligning portfolios with environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns, to impact and community investing topics.

Among the featured experts are keynote speaker Sarah Newcomb, behavioral economist with fund rating agency Morningstar, and Saturna Capital's Craig Churman, who serves as host for the gathering.

“This event was designed to give advisors a good overview of the sustainable landscape from some of the leading voices in the field," noted Churman, a Vice President and Director at Saturna. “With the rise in investor demand for sustainable products, we want to equip advisors to better engage clients in conversations on the many topics related to sustainable investing. This can be difficult terrain, as even the clients who request a ‘sustainable approach,' may not be clear on the exact nature of the changes they want to make to their portfolios."

The Sustainable Investing Symposium's three main panels are covering a broad spectrum of sustainable topics, providing insight and strategies from industry practitioners at top-tier investment and advisory firms.

The ESG Integration Panel focuses on infusing traditional portfolios with firms that rate well in key sustainable criteria; it includes Matthew Blume from Appleseed Capital, Jane Carten from Saturna Capital, Lenore Reiner from Calvert Research, and Julie Koska from Morningstar. The panel is moderated by Leslie Samuelrich from Green Century Capital Management.

The Impact Investing Panel focuses on identifying and evaluating private investment opportunities for community impact and features panelists Katherine St. Onge from Calvert Foundation, David Sand from Community Capital Management, and Noelle Laing from Cambridge Associates. The panel is moderated by Lisa Woll from US SIF.

The final session, titled Advisors Panel - ESG Integration for Practice Growth, focuses on the benefits of incorporating sustainable investing as experienced by financial advisors who are already doing so. They include Adam Bernstein from Gitterman Wealth Management - SMART Portfolios, Will Bruno from AXA Advisors, Marguerita Cheng from Blue Ocean Global Wealth, and Jon Ellenbogen from Impact Capital Strategies. This panel is moderated by Paul Ellis from Paul Ellis Consulting.

These primary sessions are complemented with “table top" discussions during the day on topics such as shareholder advocacy, local community investment opportunities, and an evaluation of the performance of sustainable investing.

To access presentations from the Sustainable Investing Symposium and for more information on future sustainable investing events in your areas, please contact Craig Churman (cpc(at)saturna(dot)com) or West Lytle (rwl(at)saturna(dot)com).

Please consider an investment's objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. To obtain this and other important information about Saturna's Mutual Funds in a current prospectus or summary prospectus, please visit http://www.saturna.com or call toll free 1-800-728-8762. Please read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing. Distributed by Saturna Brokerage Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saturna Capital Corporation, investment adviser to the Funds.